The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1887-03-19
IA Newspaper Bohemian,
BY FANNIE MAY TROUSDALE.
CHAPTER VIII.


| SSSaACK to his post went Frank
NfM Graves; 10 his law books here.
GS tofore all satisfying to his place
ssS In the army of ambitious and
scheming fellow-lawyers who had
watched him climbing steadily and
surely above them, with mingiing OF
envy, malice aud admiration. But
when he sat down at his desk, that
morning, with an open book before
hiln, where was the old, indomnitable
spirit which had hitherto never failed
him:
1t had gone out of him. Nothing
seemed worth while striving after any
more. Instead of the bouyancy and
eager interest, he found that he had
left him only heavy and irresponsive
| heart, aud disgust for the old routine
! aud toll.
He fell 10 piciuring this siren who
had beguiIed his wealth of content-
ment. On each page of his book there
smiled up at him a slender figure in
black, with bunch of roses at her
throat, aud pathetic, dusky eyes, and
an iutolerable longing took possession
of his heart to reach out his hand and
clasp hers-for some small token of her
presence-anything but this memory
which held about 1t only the bitterness
of farewell.
He leaned his head down on the
open pages of his book, and sought
with the strength of brave and
vigorous spirit to throw of the leth-
argy Of misery that was undoiug him.
And every turn of the wheels were
bearing her farther away.
Il r.
Aud Stepanie? Down in the heart of
South Carolina, whittier she had jour-
neyed, the short winter days came on,
aud 1t was nearing the Christmas tide.
But there lay yet ahead of her, almost
the whole state of North Carolina,
which she had only touched on.
Thither was she making her way, with
all haste. Not that she was eager to
exchange the land of the "palmetto
and the pine," and all the warm, spon-
taneous courtesy that characterized it,
for the blunt and brusque ways of its
sister state. But it lay between her and
home, and all its manifold blessings
which never seemed 80 alluriug as
now.
A letter, which had followed her
with unerripg accuracy from town to
town, awaited her in Camden, that
stately and delightful old town, content
just to "tfe still and dream" It was
from the Gland of the sky" and very
volum nious, this letter.
"If they were not such charming let
ters," Stephanie said to herself as she
ran up to her room, with a pleasant
little thrill of expectancy in her heart,
while the business of the day awaited
her pleasure, 81 don't think I could
take the time tor them. But how few
people can write a letter!'
"I have had hard fight of it," she
read the paragraph with slow eyes,
"but I am getting the upper hand OF it
now, this letbargy I wrote you of,
which seized upon me Immediately
after your departure, and which threat
ened to paralyze all energy and ambi-
tion in my work. 1t is not that the
longing to see you is in any degree
abating-oh, no, not that; but with this
slow awakening has come new incen-
tive TO ambition-a hope TO merit your
appreciation if nothing more. y
1t Is great while now since we parted
and still to all my pleadipgs that I
may come some aChere to see you, your
answer is always, "not yet" Down
into the Slough of Despond 60 each
time. But / should not complain when
there is even a hope left. AS you are
a woman-I had almost said a saint
be merciful."
When Stephanie folded this letter at
its completfon, she CONSIGNED it with q